All non F1 guys who have done brilliant things in things that aren't F1. They'd do just fine.

other than Rossi and Loeb, how many of those guys do you reckon the average person will know? a large percentage of F1 fans don't watch other motorsports. some of those won't have been around long enough to remember Villenueve or Montoya. when you add that not all the people who watch Top Gear are F1 fans, I can't see any of these guys giving the show a big enough ratings to be worth booking. why get Jason Plato when some bloke In an upcoming Movie will bring in extra viewers, and maybe some advertising money too.

Top Gear is a BBC show so no adverts (other than for the BBC of course).

the star usually goes on to promote something though, and i think even the beeb get something for that. hence they never slag off the guest's film or book or whatever.

on a different note, i saw the Sweeney film that they did the car chase for, and it was a load of old pish. worst film I've seen since Batman and Robin.

Great lap, first time I have watched top gear since in went downhill in my opinion so was only on for 10mins, still think the bits shown where Lewis looked to be messing about and not caring while doing the lap were filmed after the lap, I bet he wanted to beat Seb so would not take any chances whilst completing the timed lap. While it was a great lap I personally think Vettel deserves another shot at the lap if he wants as I think both Vettel and Hamilton have improved as drivers over the past couple of years so it would only be fair.

Great lap, first time I have watched top gear since in went downhill in my opinion so was only on for 10mins, still think the bits shown where Lewis looked to be messing about and not caring while doing the lap were filmed after the lap, I bet he wanted to beat Seb so would not take any chances whilst completing the timed lap. While it was a great lap I personally think Vettel deserves another shot at the lap if he wants as I think both Vettel and Hamilton have improved as drivers over the past couple of years so it would only be fair.

Vettel and Button got WHIPPED by Lewis' time, the only reason Lewis needed a second attempt was because he set his first time in the wet.

Oh and lets be cynical and pretend Lewis doesn't sing in his car while setting pole position lap times

They should really get Raikkonen and Webber back then. Seems a bit too much of a coincidence that he's top considering Jezza (and most of the BBC) seem have the opinion that he's the fastest thing ever, and he has a difficult season ahead.

Great lap, first time I have watched top gear since in went downhill in my opinion so was only on for 10mins, still think the bits shown where Lewis looked to be messing about and not caring while doing the lap were filmed after the lap, I bet he wanted to beat Seb so would not take any chances whilst completing the timed lap. While it was a great lap I personally think Vettel deserves another shot at the lap if he wants as I think both Vettel and Hamilton have improved as drivers over the past couple of years so it would only be fair.

Vettel and Button got WHIPPED by Lewis' time, the only reason Lewis needed a second attempt was because he set his first time in the wet.

Oh and lets be cynical and pretend Lewis doesn't sing in his car while setting pole position lap times

Wet and Oil... A Monaro had dumped it's sump all over the track (I remember at the time they joked it was Webber sabotage to keep his position at the top of the F1 time board...)

They should really get Raikkonen and Webber back then. Seems a bit too much of a coincidence that he's top considering Jezza (and most of the BBC) seem have the opinion that he's the fastest thing ever, and he has a difficult season ahead.

From what they've said he was the one wanting to go back and do another time, not them.

Indeed the BBC are 100% British drivers and they seem rave on about Hamilton even more than Button and Di Resta.

1.1 seconds is a lot, I'm not saying it isn't (and obviously if the time was indeed legit which all the viewers were led to believe and I believe it to be true) especially between the best two 'one lap specialists' in the current era of formula 1, I just wonder whether track conditions were massively different and that Hamilton had the better day, heck to settle it all of the drivers on the board (and any others who want to have a go) should all go the the top gear track and each set a lap, therefore the track conditions and temp would be as close to each other as possible and we can see who is the fastest round the top gear track, they could make that into an hour long F1 special that might actually be worth watching. Saying that Hamilton and Vettel would most likely end up in the top two spots.

From all the comments here and also from what I've occasionally thought myself about how some times look a little dubious at first - why don't they just edit all the laps in real time using the track side cameras and also having a constant dash cam in the bottom corner so we can see it's not been edited in any way?

_________________There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

From all the comments here and also from what I've occasionally thought myself about how some times look a little dubious at first - why don't they just edit all the laps in real time using the track side cameras and also having a constant dash cam in the bottom corner so we can see it's not been edited in any way?

That wouldn't be entertainment apparently.

Still there is no way Hamilton is over a second quicker than Vettel under normal conditions in the same car. No way. I he was he'd have been WDC last year, 2011 and 2010 and probably 2009 as well. But he isn't.

From all the comments here and also from what I've occasionally thought myself about how some times look a little dubious at first - why don't they just edit all the laps in real time using the track side cameras and also having a constant dash cam in the bottom corner so we can see it's not been edited in any way?

That wouldn't be entertainment apparently.

Still there is no way Hamilton is over a second quicker than Vettel under normal conditions in the same car. No way. I he was he'd have been WDC last year, 2011 and 2010 and probably 2009 as well. But he isn't.

Actually he could very easily be a second faster than anyone, simply because it's not the same thing as an F1 car. This is a front-wheel low power vehicle, there's a very real chance that one driver could be exceptionally better than someone who might be just as fast as he in an F1 car. Would you be saying the same if Loeb was a second faster than Lewis?

From all the comments here and also from what I've occasionally thought myself about how some times look a little dubious at first - why don't they just edit all the laps in real time using the track side cameras and also having a constant dash cam in the bottom corner so we can see it's not been edited in any way?

That wouldn't be entertainment apparently.

Still there is no way Hamilton is over a second quicker than Vettel under normal conditions in the same car. No way. I he was he'd have been WDC last year, 2011 and 2010 and probably 2009 as well. But he isn't.

Actually he could very easily be a second faster than anyone, simply because it's not the same thing as an F1 car. This is a front-wheel low power vehicle, there's a very real chance that one driver could be exceptionally better than someone who might be just as fast as he in an F1 car. Would you be saying the same if Loeb was a second faster than Lewis?

From all the comments here and also from what I've occasionally thought myself about how some times look a little dubious at first - why don't they just edit all the laps in real time using the track side cameras and also having a constant dash cam in the bottom corner so we can see it's not been edited in any way?

That wouldn't be entertainment apparently.

Still there is no way Hamilton is over a second quicker than Vettel under normal conditions in the same car. No way. I he was he'd have been WDC last year, 2011 and 2010 and probably 2009 as well. But he isn't.

Actually he could very easily be a second faster than anyone, simply because it's not the same thing as an F1 car. This is a front-wheel low power vehicle, there's a very real chance that one driver could be exceptionally better than someone who might be just as fast as he in an F1 car. Would you be saying the same if Loeb was a second faster than Lewis?

From all the comments here and also from what I've occasionally thought myself about how some times look a little dubious at first - why don't they just edit all the laps in real time using the track side cameras and also having a constant dash cam in the bottom corner so we can see it's not been edited in any way?

That wouldn't be entertainment apparently.

Still there is no way Hamilton is over a second quicker than Vettel under normal conditions in the same car. No way. I he was he'd have been WDC last year, 2011 and 2010 and probably 2009 as well. But he isn't.

Top Gears entertainment? It was a few years ago but not now, I'm not sure about anybody else here but I find top gear almost painful to the extent that I don't watch it anymore.

Also I agree with you that Vettel is not a second slower a lap than Hamilton, as I said in a previous post 1.1 seconds over a 1.44.5 lap time (average for F1 drivers?) is quite a margin and for what many believe as the two best qualifiers on the grid, for me the massive gap just does not make sense and the more I think about it the more I think it's a bit of a fix as everyone at the BBC thinks Hamilton is the best in F1, which is wrong as he is one of the best along with Vettel, Alonso and a few others when the car setup is perfect etc.

From all the comments here and also from what I've occasionally thought myself about how some times look a little dubious at first - why don't they just edit all the laps in real time using the track side cameras and also having a constant dash cam in the bottom corner so we can see it's not been edited in any way?

That wouldn't be entertainment apparently.

Still there is no way Hamilton is over a second quicker than Vettel under normal conditions in the same car. No way. I he was he'd have been WDC last year, 2011 and 2010 and probably 2009 as well. But he isn't.

Actually he could very easily be a second faster than anyone, simply because it's not the same thing as an F1 car. This is a front-wheel low power vehicle, there's a very real chance that one driver could be exceptionally better than someone who might be just as fast as he in an F1 car. Would you be saying the same if Loeb was a second faster than Lewis?

Nope. Same car, ish. The engine has probably been changed for a newer one, clutch, gearbox etc. because of the amount of wear and tear they take. They weren't built for speed racing.

i know,i was just asking as i saw them using a KIA once but i guess that's for the celebs and the F1 drivers only use the Liana,i thought maybe they'd give them the new Liana but i guess not,haven't watched the show since anyway.

Last edited by nike2die4 on Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

The sheer fact the gap is so large should put pay to any BBC fix theories, simply because no-one tries to fix something like laptimes with such a giant gap between 1st and 2nd. What you do is make it something small like 3 tenths of a second, 1.1 seconds is immediately going to draw suspicion.

It's very likely Lewis is 3-4 tenths faster than Vettel and the track conditions were beneficial for his lap. Not to mention Vettel could've left time on the track during his run. The rules are that they take the time of one single lap, not the fastest time out of a series of laps, so any mistakes will be magnified.

The sheer fact the gap is so large should put pay to any BBC fix theories, simply because no-one tries to fix something like laptimes with such a giant gap between 1st and 2nd. What you do is make it something small like 3 tenths of a second, 1.1 seconds is immediately going to draw suspicion.

It's very likely Lewis is 3-4 tenths faster than Vettel and the track conditions were beneficial for his lap. Not to mention Vettel could've left time on the track during his run. The rules are that they take the time of one single lap, not the fastest time out of a series of laps, so any mistakes will be magnified.

it's a joke thing,nothing to be taken seriously so obviously the times would be inconsistent,wouldn't be surprised if Yuji Ide or Sato sets a time a second faster than everyone else.

The sheer fact the gap is so large should put pay to any BBC fix theories, simply because no-one tries to fix something like laptimes with such a giant gap between 1st and 2nd. What you do is make it something small like 3 tenths of a second, 1.1 seconds is immediately going to draw suspicion.

It's very likely Lewis is 3-4 tenths faster than Vettel and the track conditions were beneficial for his lap. Not to mention Vettel could've left time on the track during his run. The rules are that they take the time of one single lap, not the fastest time out of a series of laps, so any mistakes will be magnified.

it's a joke thing,nothing to be taken seriously so obviously the times would be inconsistent,wouldn't be surprised if Yuji Ide or Sato sets a time a second faster than everyone else.

The sheer fact the gap is so large should put pay to any BBC fix theories, simply because no-one tries to fix something like laptimes with such a giant gap between 1st and 2nd. What you do is make it something small like 3 tenths of a second, 1.1 seconds is immediately going to draw suspicion.

It's very likely Lewis is 3-4 tenths faster than Vettel and the track conditions were beneficial for his lap. Not to mention Vettel could've left time on the track during his run. The rules are that they take the time of one single lap, not the fastest time out of a series of laps, so any mistakes will be magnified.

it's a joke thing,nothing to be taken seriously so obviously the times would be inconsistent,wouldn't be surprised if Yuji Ide or Sato sets a time a second faster than everyone else.

Joke or not, I still have to be the sane one amidst a sea of 'it's a fix' talk :p. Also, I'm not sure the F1 drivers who've taken part would want to be seen as that much slower than someone else, I have no doubts Vettel will be itching to get back on and try to rectify the matter.

The sheer fact the gap is so large should put pay to any BBC fix theories, simply because no-one tries to fix something like laptimes with such a giant gap between 1st and 2nd. What you do is make it something small like 3 tenths of a second, 1.1 seconds is immediately going to draw suspicion.

It's very likely Lewis is 3-4 tenths faster than Vettel and the track conditions were beneficial for his lap. Not to mention Vettel could've left time on the track during his run. The rules are that they take the time of one single lap, not the fastest time out of a series of laps, so any mistakes will be magnified.

it's a joke thing,nothing to be taken seriously so obviously the times would be inconsistent,wouldn't be surprised if Yuji Ide or Sato sets a time a second faster than everyone else.

Joke or not, I still have to be the sane one amidst a sea of 'it's a fix' talk :p. Also, I'm not sure the F1 drivers who've taken part would want to be seen as that much slower than someone else, I have no doubts Vettel will be itching to get back on and try to rectify the matter.

he has 3 F1 titles,only his fans would be itching for him to get back to rectify that matter,taking this seriously as something to guage talent is like taking the ROC or NBA all stars game seriously.

The sheer fact the gap is so large should put pay to any BBC fix theories, simply because no-one tries to fix something like laptimes with such a giant gap between 1st and 2nd. What you do is make it something small like 3 tenths of a second, 1.1 seconds is immediately going to draw suspicion.

It's very likely Lewis is 3-4 tenths faster than Vettel and the track conditions were beneficial for his lap. Not to mention Vettel could've left time on the track during his run. The rules are that they take the time of one single lap, not the fastest time out of a series of laps, so any mistakes will be magnified.

it's a joke thing,nothing to be taken seriously so obviously the times would be inconsistent,wouldn't be surprised if Yuji Ide or Sato sets a time a second faster than everyone else.

Joke or not, I still have to be the sane one amidst a sea of 'it's a fix' talk :p. Also, I'm not sure the F1 drivers who've taken part would want to be seen as that much slower than someone else, I have no doubts Vettel will be itching to get back on and try to rectify the matter.

he has 3 F1 titles,only his fans would be itching for him to get back to rectify that matter,taking this seriously as something to guage talent is like taking the ROC or NBA all stars game seriously.

You underestimate the sheer competitive will of these drivers, Vettel has shown absolutely no inclination that he would happily play second fiddle to anyone on a list of times, regardless of how pointless they are. Lewis himself said he was upset he had to drive in the wet for his first run, for a reigning WDC at that time, it shows how much they want to be first in absolutely everything they do.

Though how you think I'm gauging talent is beyond me, I was merely trying to scupper the it's a fix talk and those who think something like Lewis being a second faster is impossible. I have no doubts that someone who makes a living racing front-wheel drive vehicles can beat Lewis' time handily.

I have to admit i do find it mildly amusing that there are now conspiracy theorists abounding as soon as Hamilton does something impressive that sound as ridiculous as the conspiracy theorists did last year re:- Whitmarsh et all .... I tend to find Occam's razor a good principle to work by in these sort of situations